Wider Thompson Bridge not wide enough
Damage caused by farm equipment destroys beams and delays transfer to Trent Hills
Wanted: The driver of the large farm vehicle that apparently crashed into steel guardrails on both sides of Skinkle Road as it tried to fit through the new Thompson Bridge.
Something wide and heavy recently hit the east side of the northern entrance to the bridge, severely denting guardrails and loosening several posts. At the same time, it hit the western guardrail across the road. That did less damage to the beams but did loosen several posts.
The irony is that the new single-lane bridge, which was completed last December, was specifically made wider to accommodate farm equipment. The bridge deck is 4.5 metres wide, almost half a metre wider than the previous bridge. The spot hit by the mystery vehicle is even wider, since it is just north of the bridge itself.
Mike Metcalf, deputy mayor of Trent Hills, was filling in for Mayor Bob Crate last week at Northumberland County council’s meeting. One item on the agenda was the transfer of the new $2.3-million bridge, built by the county, to the municipality. That had been part of the plan when the county agreed to replace the old bridge that had been condemned and blocked for two years.
During that period farm equipment had to find a way around the blocked crossing of Percy Creek.
Metcalf outlined the recent damage to the bridge and suggested Trent Hills wouldn’t take ownership of the bridge until it had been repaired. Six sections of beam and eight posts will need to be replaced, he said.
County staff said the repairs will cost thousands of dollars because steel beams are so expensive, but it will be carried out by workers in coming weeks. A vote on the bylaw to transfer the bridge was postponed until county council’s November meeting.
The original fixed-steel, pony truss bridge was constructed in 1922, and was closed in July 2021 due to safety concerns. Weight restrictions had been in place since 1985.
Work continues on Warkworth daycare centre
Northumberland County says it now expects the 47 new child-care spaces in the former home of Serendipitous Old Stuff Lounge in Warkworth will open before the end of the year.
In June, the county expected work to be completed in the summer and hoped to be open by now. The centre will be operated by the Northumberland YMCA.
“All partners are striving to complete work and get identified locations open as quickly as possible to address the urgent demand for child-care in our community,” says Early Years Services Manager Lesley Patterson.
Patterson said in an interview that there had been construction delays and licensing issues, but she expects the Warkworth centre to open this year. The county also expects to open 70 spaces in Port Hope and 15 in Cobourg this year.
In 2023, the waitlist for licensed child-care in Northumberland County grew by 60%, with 3,000 children waiting for spaces. In response, the county aims to add 404 new infant-to-age-six spaces by 2026. Trent Hills has been identified as one of the communities most in need of more child care.
These expansion plans align with provincial targets for the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system – to make high-quality, affordable, flexible, and inclusive child-care accessible to more families.
In a report to council, Patterson outlined the frustration the county and daycare operators have faced due to provincial delays in establishing rules and budgets for expansion. Also, the province won’t finance new buildings, forcing municipalities and operators to find ways around that issue.
“Frequent changes to ministry guidelines and updates to allocated funding make it difficult to plan future projects,” she wrote. The constant changes make it difficult to plan, even when the updates are positive, she added.
For example, the ministry released new funding rules in August, but details are still being sorted out, Patterson said in an interview.
“The goal was to open these spaces sooner, but it took longer than anticipated because of the identified challenges with construction, inspections, and legislative requirements of several levels government and ministries,” her report says.
There is some irony that even government projects face red tape and bureaucracy that private developers often complain about.
A two-year wait for daycare centres is excruciating, said Port Hope Mayor Olena Hankivsky during discussion of the report at county council last week.
“It’s undermining economic development in the county,” she said. A planned daycare centre in Port Hope is even further behind as major construction issues have been found and no budget has been prepared or deadline set for it to open.